It is often necessary to secure a bone screw to a patient's bone. However, the presence of osteoporotic bone, fractured, damaged or diseased bone may reduce the effective purchase between a bone screw and the interior of the bone with which the screw interfaces. Further, previous screw insertion and/or an attempt at inserting a larger diameter screw may further complicate screw insertion and revision, and increase the incidence of the screw breaching the bone or the screw “stripping”. In addition, prior attempts involved implanting foreign substances into the patient's bone.
In the spine it is often necessary to treat spinal disorders by, for example, securing a number of pedicle screws into the patient's vertebra and attaching elongated members, typically rods, longitudinally along a patient's spine on either side of the spinous processes of the vertebral column to the pedicle screws. One problem associated with pedicle screw fixation is loss of purchase between the bone screw and the patient's vertebrae. Another problem associated with screw fixation is loss of holding strength of a bone screw in bone, particularly a bone screw in a vertebra. Toggling of the screw in bone is another problem that may lead to loss of purchase and holding strength.
Thus there is a need for a device, instrumentation and method to reduce the complications associated with screw fixation in bone, including, but not limited to, pedicle screw fixation complications as a result of loss of purchase and/or insufficient holding strength between the pedicle screw and the vertebra. In addition, there is a need for a device, instrumentation and method to fill bone voids, such as those that are left after hardware is removed. Also, there is a need for a device instrumentation and method to improve the fit between two or more implants or instruments, for example the fit between a void and a screw or a bone dowel, more specifically that in Anterior Cruciate Ligament/Posterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL/PCL) repair procedures.